Field
The present disclosure relates to orthopedic cast removal and more particularly pertains to a new orthopedic cast removal apparatus and method for providing a more comfortable and safer removal procedure.
Description of the Prior Art
Orthopedic casts are utilized to immobilize or substantially immobilize portions of the body of a patient. The cast is formed out of a rigid or substantially rigid material that encases the portion of the patient's body that is to be immobilized. Typically the cast is formed about the body part using a relatively flexible substrate that conforms to the body portion and a material that causes the substrate to become rigid so that the body part or parts are unable to freely move. For example, a flexible cotton mesh material may be rigidified by plaster of paris, or a flexible fiberglass mesh material may be rigidified by a resin. Once formed about the body part, the cast is worn on the body continuously for a period time to permit healing, and then the cast may be removed from the body part, typically by cutting or severing a portion of the cast, to permit release of the body part from the encasement by the cast.